Bayern's shrewd moves could erase disappointment

	Bayern's double-swoop for Luca Toni (left) and Franck Ribéry gives the club a reliable scorer and a young, electric playmaker. AP
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A wise man once said the difference between the rich and everyone else is that the rich get second chances. When they suffer setbacks, they know they can always dust themselves off, reopen the wallet and take another shot at it.

Make no mistake about it, Bayern Munich is not just rich -- it's part of the game's European aristocracy. And, just as the Hiltons happily bail out Paris when she gets in trouble, so too did club officials swoop in to rescue the side after one of the worst seasons in recent memory (one so nightmarish that Bayern won't be in the Champions League next season).

Give club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge credit. When, last spring, he effectively apologized to the fans for the disappointing campaign and announced the club had as much as $110 million to invest, he wasn't kidding.

Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld now has a whole menu of options in every area of the pitch. Start at the back, where, in the trio of Marcell Jansen, Philipp Lahm and Willy Sagnol, Bayern has as good a group of fullbacks as anyone. The much-hyped Jansen, who arrived from Borussia Mönchengladbach, is a star in the making, though at first, he might share time with Lahm, whose versatility allows him to play on either flank.

The midfield has been overhauled as well and there is something for everyone. Hamit Altintop (a free-agent pickup from Schalke 04) provides vision and quality. The return of Zé Roberto from his hiatus at Santos offers experience and work ethic. José Sosa brings South American grit and creativity. Jan Schlaudraff, often overlooked in the past, is a high-energy, attack-minded player who adds youth and goals (19 in his last two seasons).

And finally there's Franck Ribéry, a guy who could have written his own ticket after the World Cup a year ago. The French winger is fast, clever and very difficult to contain. The fact that he chose Bayern rather than going elsewhere is evidence that top players across Europe believe in the club's long-term project.

What's more, of all the players cited above, all are 24 or younger, apart from Zé Roberto. When you consider the relative youth of some of the guys already there -- Bastian Schweinsteiger (22), Lahm (23), Andreas Ottl (22) and Lukas Podolski (22) -- what Bayern Munich has is a gifted nucleus that looks as if it will only get stronger over time.

Of course, Bayern can't just focus on the future; it needs to win right now. That's why, up front, it spent big (at least in terms of wages) for two proven veterans: Miroslav Klose (29) and Luca Toni (30). The pair scored a combined 85 goals over the past two seasons at Werder Bremen and Fiorentina, respectively, and on paper at least look like a fearsome combination, with Toni's size complementing Klose's quickness and guile.

The only thing left on the agenda is a long-term replacement for 38-year-old goalkeeping icon Oliver Kahn. But with so many gifted young keepers in the Bundesliga, that shouldn't be a problem. And, besides, replacing Kahn can wait until next year.

Bayern had to act after the embarrassment of last season and, so far, it's hard to find anything wrong with its transfer campaign (it also managed to shed pricey veterans such as Hasan Salihamidzic and Claudio Pizarro). The test will come on the pitch of course. But with Hitzfeld in charge, don't bet against them.